Despite being unable to seal victory even after creating an opportunity to serve for the tournament, Murray insisted he would shrug off the agonising loss very quickly.

"Not long," Murray said, when asked how long the defeat would weigh on his mind. "It's disappointing to lose but I've lost tougher matches than that before and at the biggest events, so I'm sure I'll recover pretty well."

The Scot added: "I maybe had one [match point] on my serve I think.

"I had been joking about when you talk so much about serving matches out, it's bound to happen [that you fail] at some stage."

His opponent, meanwhile, was delighted to put the defeat against Murray at Flushing Meadows - their last competitive encounter - to rest, admitting that it had been a physically strenuous contest for both men.

"It's a great recovery after losing the US Open final," Djokovic said. "Whoever was watching the match saw a great fight, it was thrilling, it was exciting and it was very long! Three hours for best-of-three is long, but whenever I play Andy I know it's going to be a gruelling fight.

"I cannot say I've dominated the match because he had so many match points, but I'm very proud of my fight and my belief to come back and win this match.

"I tried to take each point individually but it's a big challenge whenever I play Andy.

"Maybe physically he dropped towards the end, but I cannot ask for more."

After enduring a tricky start to his Manchester United career, perhaps it is fair that Marcos Rojo celebrated so boisterously as he watched his first professional club Estudiantes beat fierce rivals Gimnasia